Charlie Falconer, Baron Falconer of Thoroton

The Lord Falconer of Thoroton
Studio portrait, 2017
Secretary of State for Justice[a]
Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
In office
12 June 2003 – 28 June 2007
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterTony Blair
Preceded byThe Lord Irvine of Lairg[b]
Succeeded byJack Straw
Junior ministerial offices
Minister of State for Criminal Justice, Sentencing and Law Reform
In office
29 May 2002 – 12 June 2003
Prime MinisterTony Blair
Preceded byDavid Maclean[c]
Succeeded byThe Baroness Scotland of Asthal
Minister of State for Housing, Planning and Regeneration
In office
11 June 2001 – 29 May 2002
Prime MinisterTony Blair
Preceded byNick Raynsford
Succeeded byThe Lord Rooker
Minister of State for the Cabinet Office
In office
28 July 1998 – 11 June 2001
Prime MinisterTony Blair
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded by
Solicitor General for England and Wales
In office
6 May 1997 – 28 July 1998
Prime MinisterTony Blair
Preceded byDerek Spencer
Succeeded byRoss Cranston
Shadow cabinet portfolios
Shadow Attorney General
In office
6 April 2020 – 29 November 2021
LeaderKeir Starmer
Preceded byThe Baroness Chakrabarti
Succeeded byEmily Thornberry
In office
8 October 2010 – 6 September 2012
LeaderEd Miliband
Preceded by
Succeeded byThe Lord Beecham
Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
Shadow Lord High Chancellor
In office
11 May 2015 – 26 June 2016
Leader
Preceded bySadiq Khan
Succeeded byRichard Burgon
Member of the House of Lords
Assumed life peerage
15 May 1997
Personal details
Born
Charles Leslie Falconer

(1951-11-19) 19 November 1951 (age 72)
Edinburgh, Scotland
Political partyLabour
ChildrenHamish, William "Rocco", Rosie, Johnny
Alma materQueens' College, Cambridge

Charles Leslie Falconer, Baron Falconer of Thoroton, PC, KC (born 19 November 1951) is a British Labour politician, peer and barrister who served as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice[a] under Prime Minister Tony Blair from 2003 to 2007.

Born in Edinburgh, Falconer read law at Queens' College, Cambridge and then worked as a barrister in London. During his time as a barrister, he was a flatmate of Tony Blair. Although Blair went into politics, Falconer focused on his legal career and became a Queen's Counsel. After Blair was elected as Prime Minister, Falconer was created a life peer and made Solicitor General for England and Wales. He is the only known person to have served as Solicitor General as a peer. Later, he served as Minister of State for the Cabinet Office, Minister of State for Housing, Planning and Regeneration and Minister of State for Criminal Justice, Sentencing and Law Reform respectively.

Falconer became the Lord Chancellor and the first Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs in 2003, and would go on to become the first Secretary of State for Justice in a 2007 reorganisation and enlargement of the portfolio of the Department for Constitutional Affairs. He held this role for over a month until Gordon Brown became Prime Minister in June 2007. Falconer was named Shadow Justice Secretary under the acting leadership of Harriet Harman in 2015, and continued in this role after the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the party, until he resigned on 26 June 2016. He was appointed as Shadow Attorney General in the Shadow Cabinet of Keir Starmer in April 2020, and stepped down from the role in November 2021.


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